Carrying case



March 19, 1.963

R. A. LIGHTBURN 3,081,807

CARRYING CASE Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 0 2M f/ INVENTOR.

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Bailiff A.

March 19, 1963 Filed June 7, 1961 ttes free

3,081,807 CARRYING CASE Robert A. Lightburn, Lakeside Trail, Fayson Lakes, Butler, NJ. Filed June 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,492 2 Claims. (Cl. 150-52) This invention relates in general to a case for carrying articles or devices, for example small radio receiving sets, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, reliable and durable case that shall be flexible and at the same time have sufiicient strength and rigidity to protect the contents of the case, such as a radio receiving set.

Another object is to provide such a case which shall include a body portion formed of a single sheet of suitable flexible material which can be folded to receive an article such as a radio receiving set and fastened therearound by quickly separable fasteners so that the radio receiving set or the like can be quickly inserted into and removed from the case for any purpose such as repair of the set or interchangeably utilizing the case with different radio sets.

Another object is to provide a carrying case having a body as described and a separable handle combined with separable fastener elements on the case and the handle such that the case may be fastened around the radio set upon application of the handle to the body of the case.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be brought out by the following description in co-n junction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a radio carrying case embodying the invention, showing the case in closed condition;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal sectional view through the case with portions of the handle broken away;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of one end of the case;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 with a portion of the handle broken away;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the plane of the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the body of the cover in unfolded flat condition.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the case includes a body A to which is separably connected a handle B.

In accordance with the invention the body A is formed of a single sheet of suitable material such as leather or plastic-coated fabric or a laminated material including a fibrous main layer having laminated thereon an outer layer of wear-resisting decorative leather and an inner layer of, for example, soft leather or chamois that will protect the contents of the case from abrasion by the case. The sheet of material is blanked or cut from a larger piece of material in known manner and of such size and shape as to provide a rear wall portion 1 for the article to be encased, such as a radio set, a bottom wall 2, a top wall 3, a front wall 4 and a closure flap 5, the sheet being foldable along scored lines generally designated 6 to provide the wall portions and closure flap. Each end wall of the case comprises two flap'portions 7 and 8 that extend from opposite ends of the front wall portion and from opposite ends of the rear wall portion, respectively. Preferably the flaps 7 are rectangular and of about the same height as the front wall portion 4, while the flap portions 8 are preferably curved upwardly and outwardly away from the bottom wall portion and have curved upper ends 9 that extend slightly above the top of the front and rear wall portions to provide supports for the ends of the closure flap when the latter is folded into closed posi tion as show-n in FIGURES l, 2 and 3. Where the case is used for a radio receiving set, the front wall portion may be perforated as indicated at 10 in juxtaposition to the outlet of the amplifier of the radio set when the latter is encased, and the end walls may have suitable openings 11 for access to operating or control knobs of the set, the shape, size and location of the openings depending upon the location of the parts on the radio set.

When applying the case to, for example, a radio set, the bottom of the set is set on the bottom wall portion 2 of the case after which the other wall portions of the case are folded around the corresponding surfaces of the radio set, and in accordance with the invention, the end wall flaps and the handle have cooperative separable fastener parts so that as the handle is applied to the case, the end wall flaps are simultaneously fastened together so as to hold the case in encasing relation to the radio set. More particularly, each end flap 7 has a head element 12 of a separable fastener that is cooperative with a socket element 13 on the corresponding end of the handle B, and each end wall flap 8 has an opening 14 through which the head element 12 of the corresponding end wall flap 7 extends when the wall portions are folded into overlapping position as best shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5.

The closure flap is held in closed position by a suitable separable fastener that is shown as including a stud or head element 15 on the edge of the flap which cooperates with a complemental socket element 16 secured in the front wall portion 4 of the case. To close the case, the closure flap is simply folded down over the radio set and the stud 15 is snapped into the socket 16 as shown in FIGURE 4.

It will be seen that by swinging the handle about the separable fasteners 12, 13 toward the front wall or the rear wall of the body of the case, the closure flap and top wall can be swung upwardly to permit easy and quick insertion and removal of the radio set into and from the body of the case; and it will thus be apparent that if desired the front, bottom, rear and end wall portions may be folded to set up the body of the case with the top wall and closure flap swung upwardly into approximately the same plane as the rear wall to permit the radio set or the like to be easily inserted into the body of the case, after which the top wall and closure flap may be swung downwardly i-nto closing position and the handle may be swung upwardly above the top wall for carrying purposes as shown in FIGURES l and 2.

While the now preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it might be pointed out that, if desired, the main portion of the handle could be omitted and the portion of the handle containing the snap fastener elements 13 would still serve to hold the body of the case in folded condition around a radio set. Also, the handle could be completely omitted and the snap fastener elements 13 could be secured in the flaps 8. Other modifications and changes in the construction of the case will occur to those skilled in the art as within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A carrying case for an article to be carried, comprising a body formed of a single piece of foldable sheet material scored to fold and provide a bottom wall portion, a rear wall portion, a front wall portion, two end walls each comprising two overlapping flaps, a top wall portion, a closure flap and complemental separable fastener elements on said closure flap and said front wall for holding the cover in closed position, a flexible strap handle, a separable fastener element on each end of the strap and a complemental fastener element secured to one of said flaps of each end wall and passing through an opening in the overlapping flap for separable engagement with the fastener element on the corresponding end of said strap handle.

2. A case for an article to be carried comprising a body formed of a single piece of foldable sheet material scored to provide a bottom wall portion, a rear wall portion, a front Wall portion, a top wall closure portion and two end walls each comprising overlapping flaps, one of said end Wall flaps being hingedly connected to each end of the front Wall portion and another of said end Wall flaps being hingedly connected to each end of the rear wall portion and one flap of each end Wall being perforated by an opening therethrough, a strap handle, cooperating fastener means on said strap handle and on said end walls for connecting the handle to the end walls and securing the overlapping flaps of each end wall together, said fastener means comprising one element of a head and socket fastener secured in the flap of each end Wall other than said perforated flap and another complemental element of said head and socket fastener secured in each end of said handle strap so that the head element of each fastener means may pass through the opening in the corresponding end wall flap and be connected to the complemental fastener element on the corresponding end of the handle strap, and means for releasably holding said top Wall closure portion in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,358,006 Lindfors Nov. 9, 1920 2,131,382 LObel Sept. 27, 1938 2,270,049 Greenstein Jan. 13, 1942 

1. A CARRYING CASE FOR AN ARTICLE TO BE CARRIED, COMPRISING A BODY FORMED OF A SINGLE PIECE OF FOLDABLE SHEET MATERIAL SCORED TO FOLD AND PROVIDE A BOTTOM WALL PORTION, A REAR WALL PORTION, A FRONT WALL PORTION, TWO END WALLS EACH COMPRISING TWO OVERLAPPING FLAPS, A TOP WALL PORTION, A CLOSURE FLAP AND COMPLEMENTAL SEPARABLE FASTENER ELEMENTS ON SAID CLOSURE FLAP AND SAID FRONT WALL FOR HOLDING THE COVER IN CLOSED POSITION, A FLEXIBLE STRAP HANDLE, A SEPARABLE FASTENER ELEMENT ON EACH END OF THE STRAP AND A COMPLEMENTAL FASTENER ELEMENT SECURED TO ONE OF SAID FLAPS OF EACH END WALL AND PASSING THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE OVERLAPPING FLAP FOR SEPARABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FASTENER ELEMENT ON THE CORRESPONDING END OF SAID STRAP HANDLE. 